Buddleia plant named ‘Wisteria Lane’

ABSTRACT

Buddleia  ‘Wisteria Lane’ is a short, multi-stemmed, arching or weeping mounded, winter-hardy butterfly bush plant with long, compact, arching flowering thyrse over a long season beginning mid-summer with sweetly-fragrant lavender flowers.

Botanical classification: Buddleia hybrid (L.).

Variety denomination: ‘Wisteria Lane’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct, Butterfly Bushplant, Buddleia ‘Wisteria Lane’ was hybridized by the inventor in thesummer of 2011 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA.The new plant, originally labeled H11-34-01, is a single seedlingselection from an open pollination of a proprietary hybrid HK10-212-01(not patented) as the female or seed parent. The male parent is unknownbut because the female parent was grown in a large population ofselected hybrid plants the potential for variation was large.

Buddleia ‘Wisteria Lane’ was first asexually propagated in 2013 by stemcuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexuallypropagated plants have been found to be stable and true to type insuccessive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Buddleia ‘Wisteria Lane’ differs from its female parent as well as allother winter-hardy butterfly bush plants known to the applicant in manytraits. The habit of ‘Wisteria Lane’ is uncommonly weeping or arching inboth stem and thyrse. The foliage is silvery green and flower color islavender. Compared to the proprietary female parent, HK10-212-01,‘Wisteria Lane’ is much more arching or weeping habit in both stems andthyrse.

The nearest commercially available comparison plants include: Buddleia(FLUTTERBY FLOW™ Lavender)=‘Podaras #12’ U. S. Plant Pat. No. 22,098with similar flower color but shorter thyrse and habit that is shorter,more horizontal and less arching, ‘Podaras #11’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.22,067 is taller, more rigid and upright. ‘Lavender’ BUZZ™ is taller,has a more upright habit with less arching or weeping and produces amuch shorter and upright thyrse. Compared to ‘Purple Haze’ U.S. PlantPat. No. 24,514 the new plant has flower color of much lighter purpleand has a weeping or arching rather than spreading habit.

The following Table 1 further demonstrates some comparisons with the newplant and the nearest comparison cultivars.

TABLE 1 LEAF FLOWER SIZE CULTIVAR COLOR COLOR HABIT (H × W) ‘PurpleHaze’ medium deep spreading 120 cm × 120 cm green purple ‘Lavender’medium lavender mounded 120 cm × 165 cm BUZZ ™ green ‘Podaras 11’ darkgreen lavender upright 150 cm × 150 cm ‘Podaras #12’ silvery greenlavender sprawling  60 cm × 120 cm ‘Wisteria Lane’ silvery greenlavender weeping 105 cm × 160 cm

Buddleia ‘Wisteria Lane’ is a distinct, winter-hardy, butterfly bushdifferent from all other Buddleia cultivars known to the inventor basedon the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Winter-hardy shrub, with multiple-stemmed, branched, short,        weeping habit.    -   2. Tightly clustered salverform flowers on long, weeping thyrse        on arching stems over a prolonged season beginning mid-summer.    -   3. Lavender flowers in long, dense, arching thyrse.    -   4. Elliptic to lanceolate foliage of silvery green with narrowly        acute apex and attenuate base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation incolor.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers.

FIG. 2 shows the habit of a three-year-old plant in mid-seasonflowering.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Buddleia ‘WisteriaLane’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of three-year-old plants in the loamy-sand open-sunfield trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizerand water as needed. The plants are, natural habit and were not treatedwith plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in thegrowth year.

-   Parentage: Unreleased proprietary hybrid # HK10-212-01 (not    patented) as the female or seed parent as the female or pod parent    times the an unknown open-pollination as the male or pollen parent.-   Propagation:    -   -   Method.—Softwood cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.        -   Rooting habit.—Normal, dense and thick at base to about 1.5            cm diameter; fibrous, branching.        -   Root color.—Creamy white between RHS 159A and lighter than            RHS 159 D depending on soil type; becoming woody to 1.5 cm            diameter.        -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16            weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.            Plant vigor is very good.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Winter-hardy, herbaceous, semi-woody,            well-branched shrub with about 24 thick upright and branched            main stems producing an arching mound about 105 cm tall and            about 160 cm wide.        -   Stem.—Glabrous and woody in lower portion, rounded in cross            section with exfoliating bark; younger upper portion            puberulent and quadrangular in cross section; strong,            arching and very flexible; average about 36 cm tall from            soil line to just below terminal flowers, and about 1.1 cm            diameter at the base, average about 8.0 mm diameter; before            distal flowers about 11 branches per main stem extending at            about 60° angle from horizontal.        -   Stem color.—Just below flowers between RHS 193D and RHS 145D            with undertone of between RHS 185C and RHS N187 more            concentrated on portions receiving more sun exposure to            nearly solid between RHS 184A and RHS 183D; and striated in            about basal 15 cm with fissures of nearest RHS 165D and            between RHS 165A and RHS 165B.        -   Plant size.—Unpinched plant with stems flowering to about            105 cm tall; overall plant about 160.0 cm wide.        -   Internode.—About 15 nodes per stem, average internode length            about 3.8 cm on unpinched plant; upper nodes pubescent,            lower nodes becoming glabrous.        -   Node color.—Same color as surrounding stem to slightly more            tinted with RHS 184A.-   Foliage description: Opposite, decussate; serrulate; puberulent    abaxial and glabrous adaxial; elliptic to lanceolate with attenuate    base and acute apex; no foliar fragrance detected.    -   -   Leaf blade size.—Up to about 14.5 cm long and about 3.5 cm            wide, average about 12.5 cm long and about 3.0 cm wide;            distally becoming smaller and more lanceolate.        -   Foliage color.—Young expanding leaf adaxial side between RHS            138C and RHS 138B and abaxial nearest RHS 192C; mature            leaves adaxial between RHS 138B and RHS 138C and abaxial            more green than RHS 192D and lighter than RHS 138D.        -   Veins.—Reticulate; abaxial raised, adaxial slightly            impressed.        -   Vein color.—Young expanding adaxial nearest RHS N144D,            abaxial nearest RHS 155B; mature main vein adaxial variable            nearest RHS 145A, abaxial main vein between RHS 145D and RHS            145C; lateral veins on young abaxial and adaxial same as            surrounding leaf tissue; lateral abaxial veins of mature            leaves nearest RHS 137B; lateral adaxial veins of mature            leaves nearest RHS 138A.        -   Petioles.—Glaucous and glabrous adaxial, pubescent abaxial;            flatted partially top to bottom; average size about 1.0 cm            long and about 2.0 mm wide at the point of attachment to            stem.        -   Petiole color.—Adaxial margins nearest RHS 138B and center            vein nearest RHS 192C, with undertones of nearest RHS 183D,            abaxial nearest RHS 192D.-   Inflorescence description: Glomerate thyrse consisting of about 1000    self-cleaning salverform flowers; to about 22.5 cm long and 6.0 cm    wide, beginning in mid-July and continuing until late October in    Michigan.    -   -   Buds.—Narrowly spatulate, apex rounded; one day prior to            opening about 11.5 mm long and about 3.0 mm in diameter and            2.5 mm long in club; tube portion about 0.9 mm diameter and            about 9.5 mm long.        -   Bud color.—Club nearest RHS 86C; tube between RHS N77B and            RHS N77D.        -   Sepals.—Typically four, proximal two-thirds connate            adpressed to corolla tube; narrowly acute apex; glabrous            both adaxial and abaxial; margin entire, edentate; fused in            about the basal 2.0 mm and split in about the terminal 1.5            mm; forming a corolla about 3.5 mm long and about 1.0 mm            across; individually less than about 0.7 mm wide at point of            fusion.        -   Sepal color.—Adaxial nearest RHS 138D, abaxial between RHS            138C and RHS 138D.        -   Flowers fragrance.—Pleasantly and distinctly sweet.        -   Petals.—Typically four; glabrous; fused into salverform with            typically straight cylindrical tube about 10.0 mm long and            1.0 mm diameter, and a flattened face about 8.5 mm across;            petal blade rounded with crenate margin; blade to about 3.5            mm across and about 3.0 mm long from fused face to apex;            center 2.5 mm of flattened face portion of blade fused.        -   Petal color.—Adaxial center between RHS 25B and RHS 24A in            the tube surrounded by a thin irregular band of less than            0.5 mm width of between RHS 21D and RHS 20B; adaxial face            blades nearest RHS N87D; abaxial tube between RHS N79D and            RHS N77D and abaxial petal blades nearest RHS N88D.        -   Gynoecium.—Pistil: one; about 4.0 mm long. Style: short,            round, glabrous; about 1.2 mm long and less than 0.5 mm            diameter; color between RHS 138D and RHS 144D. Stigma:            oblong, minutely puberulent; about 1.2 mm in long and less            than 0.5 mm long; color nearest RHS 143A. Ovary: superior;            globose; about 1.0 mm across at base and 2.0 mm tall;            distally tapering to style; color between RHS 144A and RHS            144B.        -   Androecium.—Filaments: not produced or very short. Anthers:            typically four; oblong; introrse; adnate to about mid-point            of corolla tube; about 1.0 mm long and less than 0 5 mm            wide; color between RHS 191B and RHS 191C. Pollen: abundant,            globose, less than 0.1mm long; color nearest RHS 11D.        -   Pedicel.—Short, puberulent; about 2.0 mm long and about 0.5            mm diameter; color nearest RHS 138B.        -   Peduncle.—Quadrangular, pubescent, flexible and strong; to            about 27.0 cm long.        -   Peduncle color.—Nearest RHS 138C with frequent tinting of            nearest RHS 183A where exposed to heavy direct sun exposure.        -   Fruit.—Moderate fruit set; oblong with acute apex; glabrous,            bi-valved, septicidal capsule; about 5.0 mm long and about            2.0 mm diameter.        -   Fruit color.—As maturing nearest RHS N177B; when mature and            dehiscing between RHS 165B and RHS 165C;        -   Seed.—Elongated ellipse with sharply acute ends; less than            about 2.0 mm long and about 0.1 mm diameter in center.        -   Seed color.—Nearest RHS 200A.-   Disease resistance: Resistance to deer browsing has been observed.    Further resistance beyond that of other known winter-hardy butterfly    bush cultivars has not been noted. The plant grows best with plenty    of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate some    drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 6 through 10.

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of winter-hardy butterfly bush plant Buddleiaplant named ‘Wisteria Lane’ as herein illustrated and described,suitable for potted plant culture, landscaping as a specimen or en masseor as cut flower purposes.